Blog Post: 9/27

Reading "Encoding/ Decoding" and "Introduction to Media literacy" were good opportunity to be aware of influences which come from receiving information without doubting. In March 2012, a NPO "Invisible Children" filmed a movie to appeal to American politicians to arrest Joseph Kony, the leader of guerrilla organization "Lord's Resistance Army" in Republic of Uganda. He was known for inhuman activities: kidnapping children, training boys as soldiers, forcing girls to be sex slave, homicide, pillage, and rape in Uganda. As soon as the film was uploaded, celebrities addressed their followers to join the campaign, and it succeeded to gain a lot of donation and support. However, journalists who stayed in Uganda pointed out that Kony moved his base to Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Central African Republic 6 years ago; the area the guerrilla group worked around in Uganda is stable right now. In addition, the NPO Invisible Children used the donations mostly for their rent, film producing cost, lobbying, stuff payment, and traveling expenses, but they only spend 30% from the donations for the NPO activities such like repairing and building school in Uganda. Therefore, journalists in Uganda and support groups criticized the campaign was for collecting donations with simplifying particular Uganda's background.
Thus, when viewers correctly decoded an information as providers want, they do not have any specific ways to prove the meanings are whether good or bad. Like this case, it is really easy to lead people with encoding meanings which inspire emotions in receivers.